COVID-19 has meant that we have not been able to take direct action as we are used to and have had to adapt to online. While we try to make the best of our situation, the climate is seen as an afterthought for politicians, the crisis is not as present in the public conscious, and the risk of momentum slowing down is imminent. Therefore, we must unite again, and inspire new people to join the climate movement. Time is running out, but we have a choice in how we utilise that time.

We are not only fighting for our futures, but against the present crisis and those already suffering. So, we need to call on our leaders for ambitious systemic change that places people and the planet at the heart of it. As Greta Thunberg, from Sweden declares:

“To change everything, we need everyone.”

 

Climate Live will harness the universal language of music to:

• ENGAGE: expand the global movement by engaging a new audience through music.

• EDUCATE: raise awareness of the challenges faced today by people on the frontlines of ecological breakdown, as well as the forecasts by scientists about the future.

• EMPOWER: pressure world leaders to take action to combat the climate crisis with a focus on COP26.

Each concert is being planned with sustainability as a top priority. We are working with events professionals, venues, artists and local authorities to strive to make the events as sustainable as possible. Mirroring the strikes, events will be on both large and small scales. As climate activists we listen to the science and treat every crisis as a crisis, so each country is planning concerts adhering to social distancing guidelines and have contingency plans.

Founder, Frances Fox, 19, from the UK said:

“I started Climate Live in Spring 2019, after being inspired by an interview in which Brian May said there should be a Live Aid for the climate crisis. I thought this was a brilliant idea to engage more young people in the movement, with our own spin, so immediately started messaging activists from all over the world!”

 

Audiences attending Climate Live will come away with a feeling of empowerment and the tools to engage in the climate movement. We have exactly one year until the UN COP26 conference, when governments will have to renew their Paris Agreement pledges. Climate Live calls for these to be more ambitious to meet the necessary 1.5°C targets.

Our question to world leaders is: “CAN YOU HEAR US YET?”

 

 

Christiana Figueres, former Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC who played a key role in the 2015 Paris Agreement, states:

 

“There is no doubt that young people, informed by science, have brought the climate crisis to the attention of leaders from all sectors. It is now our generation’s responsibility to protect what we love from the damages of climate change by following up on promises with the necessary actions in this decade, to fulfil the goals of the Paris Agreement. I applaud our brilliant young people for stepping up again to hold leaders to account in the lead up to COP26 in 2021, when countries must come together to show we are on track for a resilient future. Our young people have asked whether we can hear them. It is time to demonstrate that we are truly listening.”

Climate Live is an opportunity for young people across the world to make their voices heard, especially those on the frontlines such as Mitzi Jonelle Tan, (Convener of Youth Advocates For Climate Action Philippines) who says:

 

“We have just experienced four typhoons in the span of a month. I had to sit in the dark without electricity, not able to go home because the roads to our house were flooded up to the second floor of houses. This is the climate crisis; we need action.”

This is just one example of why we desperately need more people out on the streets if we want to see change, and Climate Live is a perfect opportunity to do that.

It is time to start centering the voices of those experiencing the crisis first-hand, and from communities who are and will suffer disproportionately.

Remember: the people, united, will never be defeated. Join us.

Stay tuned for more exciting announcements coming soon including the lineup!

Climate Live is also supported by NGOs including Music Declares Emergency, REVERB, Greenpeace (UK, Brazil and New Zealand), Friends of the Earth (UK and Australia), Oxfam International, 350 International, Extinction Rebellion (UK and Brazil), My Eco Resolution, Stop Ecocide, YOUNGO (youth constituency of the UNFCCC), Client Earth, The Climate Coalition, Earth Rise, Bye Bye Plastic Foundation, Vision 2025, Green Music Australia and Ecolibrium. 

 

Dominique Palmer is a climate justice activist in England featured in Forbes Top 100 UK Environmentalists List. She is an organiser within Fridays for Future International, and the PR Coordinator for Climate Live. She works on organising climate strikes and actions, mobilising students from across England, and working on international campaigns.

She is a public speaker on environmental justice that is intersectional with social issues and has spoken at events such as the UN Climate Change Conference in 2019, to campaign for bold and systemic action from global leaders. She is also a student at university studying Political Science and International Relations.